


No Flirting with the Lifeguard

by spoffyumi



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lifeguards, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 18:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4069537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoffyumi/pseuds/spoffyumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve tilted the man’s head back, pinched his nose and leaned in for mouth to mouth resuscitation. </p>
<p>Almost immediately he realized something was not right. Perhaps it was the man’s lips responding to the seal Steve tried to make over his mouth. Or perhaps it was the tongue that was suddenly in his own mouth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Flirting with the Lifeguard

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [不要和救生员调情](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4220616) by [joankindom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/joankindom/pseuds/joankindom)



“Help!” 

The crashing of the ocean waves nearly buried the cry, but Steve, atop his lifeguard tower, heard it and was already leaping to the sand below. Women stopped to stare at the muscular form sprinting along the beach. Men’s mouths dropped open. The elderly fanned themselves. Children lost their innocence. It was one thing to observe Steve’s cut body sitting motionless high above them, and quite another to see it in glorious motion, pectorals bouncing, red swim trunks pulling tight across his ass and groin. 

Oblivious to the chaos in his wake, Steve ran straight for the person needing his help: an olive-skinned guy with long dark hair and black bathing suit. He looked like a surfer type. Another man, dark-skinned, hovered over the victim. Steve skidded to a stop and knelt at the prone man’s side, calling out, “Stay back!” 

“He’s not breathing!” said the black man. 

Steve knew his job and did the requisite checks: there was a pulse. A rather strong pulse. But no breathing. Steve tilted the man’s head back, pinched his nose and leaned in for mouth to mouth resuscitation. 

Almost immediately he realized something was not right. Perhaps it was the man’s lips responding to the seal Steve tried to make over his mouth. Or perhaps it was the tongue that was suddenly in his own mouth. 

Before he could pull away, the guy had reached up and grabbed Steve’s face, keeping their mouths pressed together even though he clearly was not in need of resuscitation. “Mmmrph,” was all he could manage to mumble to express his confusion, until he was released and fell back on his ass in the sand. 

"What... I... Plaughhh." Steve spat out the taste of briny sea water and stared at the man who had clearly not drowned. 

"Wow, oh my god." The guy clutched his chest and sat up. He coughed, rather fakely. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much for saving my life!" 

Steve stared, astonished. 

The other man was not finished. "This man just saved my life!" he announced to the onlookers. Facing Steve with a broad smile, the guy embraced him, tackling him down to the sand. 

"What the hell?" Steve sputtered. 

"Thank you! Thank you, God!" 

The embrace had turned into more of a dry humping. Or, damp humping. The guy was sort of shaking him with his arms to mask the way he was grinding his hips against Steve. 

"All right, all right," Steve said, finally gathering his wits about him. He pushed off the guy - noticing his taut, firm muscles - and struggled to his feet. "You've had your fun." He turned to the crowd. "Show's over, folks. Nothing more to see." 

"I got lots more to see," said the guy from the ground. He lay there in the sand, gazing up at Steve with adoring eyes. "Hi. I'm Bucky. And you're my new hero." 

"Do you think this is funny?" Steve demanded. "Wasting my time like this? What if someone else had been out there right now, drowning?" He did a visual sweep of the shoreline to make sure that wasn't actually the case. All seemed well. But that didn't mean it was okay to feign drowning. 

"Hey, man..." Steve had started to walk away, and he heard Bucky get up. "Wait, I didn't mean... I mean, I meant... hey..." 

"I take my job seriously," Steve snapped. "If you wanted to get my attention you could have just asked me out." 

"I know you take your job seriously. You think I haven't been trying to get your attention all summer?" 

Steve set his jaw despite the flush spreading up from his neck. He had noticed - how could he not have? Slow walks in front of the lifeguard stand. Casual flexing. Almost every day, his towel placed right in Steve's line of vision. 

It had gotten almost unbearable. Steve had to look anywhere but at him in order to keep his cool, except when Bucky lay on his towel, on his stomach, facing the water. Then Steve could stare at that ass for as long as he wanted, unself-consciously. _Bucky_. Steve couldn't believe it had taken almost the whole summer to learn his name. 

"And you have that stupid sign up on your chair," Bucky said bitterly. 

They had just reached Steve's chair now. There it was, the sign Natasha had stuck up there as a joke last summer. "NO FLIRTING WITH THE LIFEGUARD ON DUTY." It had been a real problem. Swoony thirteen-year-old girls fawning over him, forming a horde around the base of his chair, asking him shit like, "What's your favorite color? Is it red like your shorts, or blue like your eyes?" Endless giggling. 

So Steve had thanked Natasha for putting up the sign. Learned to speak shortly to anyone who came up to him without an immediate medical need for help. Hadn't thought much about it. 

"There's a reason for that sign." Steve bit his lip, still tasting sea salt. He supposed the little stunt had been cute, in a way. 

Bucky frowned. "Fine," he said, and stomped away. 

_No, don't go_ , Steve wanted to say. But he didn't. He climbed back onto his tower and put on his mirrored sunglasses and tried not to think about Bucky's tongue in his mouth. 

"Hey, Steve?" Natasha stood down below. Her regulation bathing suit covered everything, yet still had guys (and a few girls) ogling her. "Sam here wants to talk to you on behalf of his friend. Not flirting, he crossed his heart and swore to die." 

The black guy from earlier. "Fine," Steve said, his voice sullen. 

"Look, Steve, my pal Bucky didn't mean anything by that stunt he pulled earlier. In fact, it was my idea. I'm kinda his wingman, you know?" When Steve didn't say anything, Sam continued. "Seriously. He just wanted to ask you out. Nothing wrong with that, right?" 

Steve wasn't sure how to respond. Natasha arched her eyebrow at him. 

"I mean, I thought the idea was golden," Sam continued. "You're a lifeguard. He's drowning. You rescue him, you fall in love, badda-bing-badda-boom. You know what I'm saying?" 

"I hear ya," Natasha piped up, smirking at Steve. 

"Thank you," Sam said. "They don't call me The Wingman for nothin'." 

Steve looked down the beach beyond Sam. He saw Bucky sulking on a towel fifty yards away. Bucky quickly turned his head when he saw Steve looking at him. 

"I don't think it would hurt to talk to him," Natasha said. "Besides, isn't it time for your break? I'll keep my eye on things. Sam here can keep me company." 

Sam saluted her. "Yes, ma'am." 

Steve sighed and climbed down. He hadn't told Natasha about how he'd been watching Bucky all summer. Hadn't even mentioned the nameless guy who had been showing off for him. Hell, he didn't think he'd ever even told Nat he was gay. But then, Natasha was perceptive like that. She had probably been watching Bucky's mating display for weeks, gaging Steve's reactions, and figured it all out. 

The sand hot between his toes, Steve made the trek over to where Bucky was sitting. "So, I was thinking," Steve said. 

Bucky squinted up at him. His wet hair fell in clumpy strings around his face. "… that you hadn't scolded me enough?" 

He shook his head. "That maybe it would be nice if you took me out to dinner. You know, to thank me for saving your life." 

For a few moments, Bucky just stared at him open-mouthed. Then he smiled and bobbed his head up and down. "Yeah. That would be a good idea," he said. "I mean, I could have died. Of embarrassment." 

Steve laughed. 

"What time do you get off?" 

"Four." He sat down beside Bucky's towel, looked at their pairs of sand-covered feet. 

They arranged the details, and soon Steve was walking away. He hoped Bucky was checking out his ass. When he reached the lifeguard tower again, Nat asked how it went. 

"Swimmingly," Steve said. 

"Promise me you won't make any lame dad jokes like that with him," Nat groaned. "Don't make him regret going to all this trouble." 

Steve promised.


End file.
